Shaft-packing for turbines.



PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907 J. WILKINSON. SHAFT PACKING PORTURBINES- z sums-auxin 1.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I 17- 1905.

a woutoz Jana; "47/527600 PATBNTBD DEC. 3; 1901.

No. 8 72,396 I J. WILKINSON.

SHAFT PACKING FOR TURBINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17 190i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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- wihyuou UNITED STATES PATENT tile-lli ifili.

JAMES WILKINSON, Oi" PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND. ASSTGNOR 'lO \YlLhINSON TURBINE COMPANY, OF BIRHINGI'IAM, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION or ALABAMA.

SHAFT-PACKING FOR TURBINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed August 17. 1905. Serial No. 274.608.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Janus Wnacrxsox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of lthode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shaft-Packing for Turbincs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to packing means for the shafts of elastic fluid turbines and rotary motors, its object. being to provide llexible 0r yielding means for cooperating with or supprn'ting packing rings so that they will yield or adjust themselves in a manner to prevent serious injury from contact with the shaft or parts rotatable therewil h.

The high speed of shaft rotation attained in elastic fluid turbines necessitates the greatest precaution against the destructive etl'ects of contact between the shaft or niovmg parts and stationarv devices serving as packing. From apoint. of economy it is necessary that the clearances between the packing and the movable parts should be as small as possible, and where it is desired to use packing rings, intcrleafcd glands, or similar metallic packing devices, it will be evident. that the smaller the clearances, the greater the danger of a heavy frictional contact which will prove not only destructive to the packing but dangerous tothc machine. If the stationary and moving parts could be made to retain their relative positions under all conditions, the packing devices could be so adjusted initially as to obtain the desired results, but this is not possible as the expansion of the stationary and moving parts may vary and move them relatively causing rigid contact. of great pressure, sufficient to cause a destruction of the parts.

it is the purpose of my invention broadly to provide a yielding means which co-acts with a packing device or devices surroun(l ing a rotatable. motor clement so as to enable the packing devices to follow any lateral movements of said element without materially increasing the friction between the moving and stationary parts of the packing, wbich wou-ld normally result from such. movements.

More specifically, l propose to use-packing rings, so mounted in their supports that they "lit lluid light therewith and closely surround the rotating parts, being adapted, when contact is made with the rotating l l y l l parts, to yield laterally before. the resulting pressure becomes injurious and adjust themselves responsive to lateral movements of the rotating parts or of the ring supports relatively to said lolating parts. Preferably the rings are supporlmlin the diaphragms or stulling box so that they are held against rotary movement, but have the free lateralplay necessary to act as above described, the supporting means tending, however, to keep the ring concentric with the original center line of the turbine. inasmuch as this manner of mounting the rings will enable them to readily follow any movements of the shaft with very little resist anec, it follows that the clearance may be reduced to a minimum between the ring and shaft.

in its preferred form my invention C0111- prises devices which positively hold the ring pressure tight in its supporting element and prevent rotary movement while they act. yieldingly under spring tension. to normally hold the ring against lateral movement concentric with the turbine diaphragm or head. This being broadly the object of my invention l have shown and described in the accompanying drawings several constructions for carrying my ideas into effect, that shown on Sheet 1 constituting my preferred mechanism.

Referring to the drawings r -l igure 1, represents a )artial plan view ot a packing ring mounted in a head or diaphragm. Fig. l, is a sectional view through a packing ring and one of its retaining devices mounted in a tur binc diaphragm. Fig. 3, is a similar view showing the ring in a different operating position. Fig. 4, is a detail view of one of the screw nuts through which the spring retaining belt for the ring passes. Fig. 5, illustrates a vertical sectional view showing in fuller detail a packing ring between stages in a. n'iulti-stage turbine, a modified 'llexible supporting means for the ring being used. Fig. 6, is a top plan view of Fig. 5.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to packing the shaft between diaphragm partitions of a multistage turbine, though it will be understood that the following description a plics cqually to the use of rings in a stnlling box for the supply or exhaust head of a turbine or other rotary motor.

The packing ring 1 is disposed in a central bolts 8 pass.

opening in the diaphragm partition 2, being supported by an annular flange 3, integral with the ring, which rests within a circular recess 4 in the upper face of the diaphragm.

, A considerable clearance is provided between the sides of the flanged ring and the dia phragm so that the ring is capable of considerable play or lateral movement. Under normal conditions, the axial or shaft packing face of the ring is disposed so as to leave a very small annular clearance between it and the shaft, water grooves or other packing meansbeing used to .reduce or prevent the leakage of pressure through this clearance.

To provide a retaining means for the ring which will prevent its rotation, due to any frictional contact with the shaft or wheel hubs, and which, at the same time, will per-' mit it to yield radially to compensate any lateral movement of the shaft or the ringsv support, I form a plurality" of circular reces ses 5 in the diaphragm adjacent to the central opening therein and preferably arranged equi-distantly around the latter.-

Screw plugs 6 close the upper en" s of these chambers and are provided with squared central openings 7, through which square These bolts have tapered heads'9 which engage in tapering countersunk openings 10 in the ring flange 3.

A plz te or washer 11 is rigidly connected to the end. of the bolt' disposed in the chamber 5, and a coiled s ring 12 is disposed between this washer am the screw plugs 6. This spring tends to force the tapering bolt head 9 downwardly so that the latter, by engaging the tapering walls of the opening 10 in the ring flange, will tend to maintain the boltin v the center of this opening. It will be noted that the-same clearnelss is allowed between the shank of the bolt 8 and the sides of the. opening 10 that exists between the ring and the diaphragm. In its normal osition in the center of the opening 10, the ffolt head 9 will be considerably below the upper surface of the flange 3, as seen in Fig. 2. If now the ring be moved laterally the tapering sides of the opening 10 will be moved against the tapering head 9, acting to force the latter upwardly against the action of the spring 12, which tends to hold it in its lowered position. This action is illustrated in Fig. 3, where it willbc seen that the ring has been moved to in the diaphragmwhonnot displaced )y the wheel hub, since the action of the spring pressed bolts against-the tapering openings 10 will be to shift the ring until the partsoccupy the position shown in Fig. 2.

to the details of construction disclosed which As illustrated on Sheet 1, the ring may pack t he shaft direct or, as will be described in connection with Figs. 5 and 6, the abut ting flanges ofbucket wheel hubs may surround the shaft likea sleeve with which the packing ring co-acts.

lieferril g to Figs. .3 and (S, I show a sec-' tion of a turbine shaft 13 having mounted thereon bucket wheels 14, 'whose flanged hu bs 15 abut and form, collars surrounding the shaft. The diaphragm 2 is disposed be tween the bucket wheels and supportsa packing rmg 16, similar 1n construction to the packing ring 2 with the exception that 'its flange 17 is provided witha tapering peripheral edge 18. An annular channel 19 is provided in the upper face of the diaphragm and isarranged so as toleave a division wall ,20 between it and'the'circ'ular recess 4. in

which the flange 17 rests. A plurality of radially disposed pins 21 pass through openings'in this wall 20 and are provided with a sl'iouldered head 22 which overlapsthe pe riphery of the flange 17, andhas-a tapering portion 23 which rests upon theincline surface 18 of the ring flange. -A spring ring 24; is disposed in the channelli) and'ad'apted to engage the outer ends of the pins21 and forcethem against the packing ring. c This spring therefore acts through'the pins to normally hold thepa-cking'ring concentric with the diaphragm opening, but it will be evident that the ring can readily follow any lateral movements of the shaft by pushing the pins opposing this movement outwardly against the action of the spring. The tapering charactor of the end 23 of the pins enables them to positively hold the ring to its seat throughout its adjusting mgvements, while their frictional engagement with the rin holds it against rotation withthe shaft. he chanm-l 1.) may be closed by a cover-25,.if do siredl i My invention may be successfully applied wherever pacli'ing rings or interleafedglunds are now used. Thus in the case of stufling boxes for the heads of turbines, the yielding retaining means for the rings would be formed in or connected to shoulders or lived rings in the stuffing box or to the turbine headv 1 Having thus described several illustrative forms embodying my presfentinvention, I dosire to protect the same without limitation are to be understood as constitutingmy preferred forms. 7 j

llaving' thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi

. 1. in a fluid motor, a rotatable driven element and means to pack it to preyent leakage between it and a part of the motor, said means comprising a packing device such as a ring, a nonrotatable element which said,

to permit the packin ally for the purposes d temperature medium in the motor, which permit the lateral adjustment .of said device while normally holding it against rotation.

..adapted .to engage saiddevice at different In an'elastic fluid turbine, 'a rotor, a stationary element through which said rotor passes, a packing ring yieldingly supported in the opening in said element, and provided with an axially elongated sleeve portion surrounding said rotor.

4. In. a rotary motor, a rotatable element, a circular packing device surrounding said element, a fixed support'for said packing device, and means tending to hold said packing device against rotationwith said element while leaving it free to follow lateral move ments of said element said means being points around its periphery. I

5'. In a rotary motor, a rotating driven element, a packing rin or sleeve surround ing said element, a fiXe support for said ring or sleeve in wlnchit is seated substantially pressure tight, a plurality of devices which are yieldingly connected to said support, and

adapted to engage said ring or sleeve.

6. In a rotary motor, a packing means for rotating parts comprising a packing element normally held against rotary movement, a fixed support therefor, spring means, and devices acted upon by said spring means which yicldingly oppose lateral movements of said element.

7. In a fluid motor comprising rotatable and fixed parts, a packing sleeve surrounding a rotatable part, a lixed support in which said sleeve is seated substantially pressure tight, sprii'ig means acting on said element to oppose lateral movements thereof while normally tending to maintain it in an initial position, and means to hold said element against rotation.

S. In a lluid motor, a rotary element, a stationarypart through an opening in which said elcmcnt passes, a packing device surrounding said rotatable element and disposed within. the opening in said stationary;

part, a clcaramx: between said device and the stationary part to permit the former to move laterally when pressed by thc'rotatable clement, and spring pressed means to engage and positively hold said device against rotary movement with said element.

9. in a turbine, a supply head for a wheel compartment, an opening therein for the turbine shaft, a packing ring disposed insaid opening and laterally adjustable therein, packing grooves in the ring face surrounding said shaft, spring means which tend to hold said ring concentric withsaid opening, and means to prevent the rotation of said. ring.

10. In a turbine, a stationary element such as asupply head or diaphragm, a. llanged packing element such as a ring or sleeve, carried thereby, devices carried by said head or diaphragm which engage said ring to prevent its rotation, metallic yieldable means to hold said ring against lateral movement, and a ro-.

tatable element for which, said ring serves as a packing.

l1 In a turbine, a stationary element such as a head or diaphra m having an o ening thereintln'ough WliiOl a rotatable element passes, a packing device for said rotatable element carried by saidstationary element,

and a plurality of spring pressed retaining means for said )acking device which permit it to readily fol our the lateral movements of said rotatableelement but prevent its rotation therewith.

12. In an elastic lluid turbine, a supply head for a wheel con'lpartl'nent having an apening therein, a shat t assing through said opening and capable of atcral play therein, a packing ring surroumling the shaft and overlapping said head, and spring pressed devices such as bolts or pins carried by said head and. engaging said ring at different points around its periphery to prevent its rotation with the shalt while permitting it to have lateral play relative to the head.

13. In a turbine, a supply head for a wheel compartment having a shaft opening thcrcin, a packing ring carried by said head, bolts having tapering heads which pass through enlarged tapering openings in said ring and are secured in said head, and spring pressed means to oppose longitudinal movement of said bolts, for the purposes described.

14. In a turbine, a head for a wheel conlpartment provided with a central shalt opening, transversely disposed chambers formed in said head around said opening, bolts inserted in said chambers, springs disposed in said chambers and engaging said bolts, openings in said ring of greater diameter than said bolts and provided with flaring sides, and a tapering head on each bolt which engages the tapering sides of an opening in said ring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesscs.

JAMES WllJKl NW )N.

Witnesses:

(1. ll. Mousn, Janus ll. NOLAN. 

